ExpressTruckTax Blog

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Set up Your Account Today for Early Bird Benefits

Everyone’s heard the saying, “The early bird gets the worm.”

But have you also heard that the early bird E-files on time?

It’s true! Preparing for HVUT season now can save your sanity later, especially if you’re new to the HVUT game. And the best way to be prepared for whatever the IRS throws your way is to set up your ExpressTruckTax account. Right. Now.

Here are just some of the benefits of getting your account set up early:

Early Bird Benefits

You’ll save tons of time later!

You’ll be less likely to file late and face penalties because you will already have everything you need and know exactly what to expect.

You can E-file early, possibly even as early as mid-June! (IRS depending)

We’ll send you email notifications reminding you to E-file before the deadline.

How Can I Prepare?

Follow these five steps, and you’ll be set for E-filing success!

1. EIN: If you don’t yet have an Employer Identification Number, now is the perfect time to register! It takes up to 15 business days for your EIN to become activated, and any tax return filed before your EIN is active will be rejected. So get your EIN now, and you won’t have to worry about it later!

Pro Tip: You can apply on the IRS website for free here or call a reputable processing service to register your EIN for you. But whatever you do, beware of internet scams that charge hundreds of dollars for an EIN!

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2. The Name Game: If you already have an EIN, do you remember the business name it’s registered under? The business name on your taxes must exactly match the name on record with your EIN. This is known as name control. If you are unsure of the exact name associated with your EIN, you can find out by calling the IRS hotline at 1.800.829.4933.

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3. Take it to the Bank: Once you have your EIN and Name Control, it’s time to SHOW ME THE MONEY! Not really, but you will have to show the IRS. And to do that, you’ll need to figure out how you want to pay.

If you plan to pay by Direct Debit, make sure you know your bank account number AND routing number (lots of people forget that one). Or you can set up an EFTPS account. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System is cool because it’s free and it allows you to schedule your tax payment up to 120 days in advance. But it takes 5-7 days to register, which is why you should do it now!

Register for free by visiting http://www.eftps.gov or by calling 1-800-555-4477. When you enroll, you’ll need your EIN, bank account, bank routing number, address and name as it appears on IRS documents.

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4. Password, Please: It’s time to create your ExpressTruckTax account, the easiest part! Simply enter your email address and a password of your choosing. It’s that simple. It’s completely free to create an account and explore the program, so logon and start poking around now.

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5. Truck Zone: You’re almost set up for E-filing success! The last step to prepare for HVUT season is to load your vehicle details into Truck Zone. Truck Zone will store your vehicle information year-after-year to make E-filing faster. For this step, you’ll need your VIN and Gross Vehicle Weight.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t sure how to calculate your GVW, simply add these three numbers together: 1. The unloaded (tare) weight of the truck, 2. The unloaded weight of the trailer, and 3. The maximum weight of the cargo customarily carried by the truck/trailer.

You can manually upload your data by entering the information in Truck Zone, or you can bulk upload the data from a .CSV file. Bulk Upload is the fastest way to upload hundreds or even thousands of vehicles at once with no data entry. For step-by-step instructions, check out this blog.

Plus you can always count on the Support Team for help getting started! They live to provide top notch year-round support in English & Spanish. Call them at 704.234.6005 or email them at support@expresstrucktax.com.